Salthawks battle back

With the way Hutchinson High played in the second game of its Tuesday doubleheader against Campus, it would be logical to assume that it outclassed its AVCTL counterparts in the first.

That wasn't the case.

But the Salthawks (5-5) - playing in just their fifth twin bill of the season and third at Fun Valley Sports Complex - salvaged a split with the Colts by redeeming a 7-4 loss with a 14-4 rout ended in the bottom of the fifth by the 10-run mercy rule.

"We've been practicing so much that there's only so much stuff you can do," Hutchinson coach Randy Carter said. "It's nice to get out, get the bats going, play some competition."

After stranding five runners in the first game, Hutch had no trouble getting them on, around and across the plate in the second.

Virtually all of the damage came in the second on the Salthawks' 12-run, 10-hit parade. After second baseman Logan Riggs grounded out to start the inning, the Salthawks saw their next 15 batters reach base. Walks to MacKenzie Regier and Megan Hutchinson preceded three consecutive RBI doubles by Rachael Rivas, Kacia Hilty and Shayla DeGarmo that gave them their first lead of the day, up 4-2.

Campus starter Shayla Bush was chased one batter later when senior Sarah Rothe worked a four-pitch walk. Colts' coach Jeff Long sent in his game one starter, Whitney Long, but she allowed all three inherited runners to score on a back-to-back-to-back RBI singles. She gave up a bases loaded walk to force in another run and, when catcher Andrea Gerstenkorn dropped what would've been a 1-2 putout off a come-backer to the mound for the second out, it plated yet another run for Hutch.

Rivas, Hilty and DeGarmo added their second run-scoring hits of the inning with three straight RBI singles. The first two came off Long, who exited the game after facing eight batters, recording no outs and surrendering six runs on six hits. Katlyn Bond came on in relief and gave up DeGarmo's hit before mercifully retiring the next two batters on groundouts.

"They were hitting the ball in places we weren't," coach Long said.

Campus had two runs in the first and scratched out a run in both the third and fourth but saw the game cut short when Rivas ripped a RBI single to leftfield to end the game in the bottom of the fifth.

The freshman third baseman, a mid-doubleheader call-up from junior varsity, was the triggerman of the rout. She finished the nightcap 3 for 4 with a double and three RBIs.

"I think what really helped us tonight was we brought Rachel Rivas up tonight from JV," Carter said. "She came up and had a little spark. "

All nine hitters in the second game scored at least one run and five had at least two. Seven different Salthawks had RBIs in a game where Campus pitchers couldn't miss any bats.

"I think we're really on right now," said Rothe, the senior backstop who was 2 for 4 with two RBIs in the second game. "I think we're going to do a good job. We have a lot of young, good talent. I think it's going to take us really far this year."

In the first game, Hutch was close to putting it all together but had to play catch-up after the Colts got to freshman starter Taja Casanova for three runs in the first and two more in the second.

"They're a decent ball team," Carter said. "We gave them five in the first two innings and held them most of the way and we had some good opportunities late to score some runs, too."

Hutch closed it to 5-4 with runs in the second, third and two in the fifth. But the Colts benefited from insurance runs, one apiece in the sixth and seventh on a RBI single by Bush and a RBI double by Bond, to close out the first game.

"I thought our pitching was a little better and we were hitting the ball in key situations," coach Long said of the first game. "That was the main thing."

Hutch now enters a brutal scheduling stretch. They play at Newton today and host Salina South in a couple of make-up twin bills before traveling to Maize on Monday and Derby Tuesday.

"We've got a lot of games coming up," Carter said. "Any time you can win is going to be helpful."